Iran clamps down on ancient spring festival fearing it could spark off political protests

Police in Iran have imposed restrictions on an ancient festival which
celebrates the triumph of good over evil, fearing that it could catalyse
growing public anger against the country's theocratic leadership.

Iran's rulers have become increasingly worried that they could be swept away by the rising tide of political protest across the regionPhoto: AFP/GETTY

12:23AM GMT 14 Mar 2011

Iranianstraditionally leap over bonfires and set off fireworks to mark the pagan festival of Chahar Shanbeh Soori, which is celebrated on the last Tuesday before March 21, the Persian new year.

This year, faced with an increasingly repressive crackdown on dissent, opposition leaders been calling on supporters to use the festival to express their resentment against the regime.

Esmail Ahmadi Moqaddam, a commander with the state security forces, warned that "buying and selling fireworks is illegal, and the police the police will severely confront offenders on the basis of the law."

Bahman Kargar, another security official, told state television that "more than 3,059,000 fireworks have been confiscated and 65 individuals distributing such material have been arrested."

Iran's rulers have become increasingly worried that they could be swept away by the rising tide of political protest across the region.

Police were stretched to breaking point by the last major round of protests, which were held on March 10.

Hamid Farokhnia, a Tehran-based journalist, reported that "hundreds of children as young as 14 had to be deployed with batons and helmets."

Key opposition leaders Mir Hossein Mousavi and Mehdi Karroubi have been detained along with hundreds of other opposition activists. Even Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, one of the patriarchs of the Islamic revolution and a former president, was sacked from the Assembly of Experts, a constitutional body, after refusing to condemn the leadership of the pro-democracy movement.

The regime's hardline tactics have incensed many, including the conservative clerics who formed the backbone of its legitimacy.

Earlier this month, the powerful Grand Ayatollah Mousavi Ardabili criticised the regime, saying its actions threatened to "create chaos in the society and a dark outlook."

Iran's government first moved against the spring festival last year, following a wave of protests against the controversial 2009 presidential elections, deploying hundreds of riot police and Islamist militiamen on Tehran's streets to force city residents to tone down their celebrations.

Ayatollah Ali Kahmenei, the country's supreme leader, had urged Iranians to shun the festival, saying it was un-Islamic and causes "a lot of harm."